


The Silver Mermaid

by casterlyqueen



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 15:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2156145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casterlyqueen/pseuds/casterlyqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was ceremony and celebration to be had in the kingdom that day for the princess. Feasting, and dancing, and celebrations as she came of age. The feasts and the gifts, and the day passed by all in a whirl that Daenerys didn’t pay attention to. It wasn’t the sumptuous food, the lavish party, the opulent gifts that excited her, it was finally going to the surface. That was the only gift the princess wanted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Silver Mermaid

Daenerys had lived her whole life in the ocean. There were no mysteries in those dark blue depths. She knew where the dolphins liked to ride the waves, frolicking in the sea foam as the sun warmed their backs. She knew that orca from the southern waters sounded different from the orcas in the northern waters. Which fish were poisonous. How the clown fish worked with the anemone. How the great whites would launch themselves from the water to grab a seal. Where the seals lied out to warm themselves in the sun. This was her kingdom, and her kingdom held no secrets from it's princess.

The young mermaid was the daughter of the sea King Aerys, and his Queen – her mother – Rhaella. She was the youngest of three, with two elder brothers and herself just on the cusp of womanhood. Once she became a woman, she would finally allowed to visit the human kingdom on land. Oh, how she longed to see what was up there.

She spread out against the white sand of their gardens, a beautiful sight. Her black tail stood out in sharp contrast against the white sands. Black as the deepest parts of the sea, though each scale tipped red, red that flashed against the light as she swam. It marked her, daughter of house Targaryen – that black and red tail. It told the world she was a princess as much as her silver locks and violet eyes did.

The people loved to talk of their princess, _What a lovely thing_ , they would always say. Praising her for some feature or another. The ivory of her skin, or the lilac of her eyes, her long locks as silver as the moon, or lips that looked the color of pink coral. The compliments washed over her like the tide on some sandy beach, she had no more control over the color of her lips than she did the sunrise. _Why do people praise me for the color of my hair, it's not like I chose the shade._

Daenerys rolled onto her stomach, sending a flutter of tropical fish scurrying away from her as she stretched across the wet white sand. A smile curled her lips as her eyes found her brother, plucking at the strings of his harp before he jotted down a few music noted. “What's it like, in their kingdom?” Daenerys asked. She had asked a thousand times before, and would love to know a thousand times more.

“It is much the same as it is here. There is a king, two princes and a princess. The only true difference is they have different animals, and they walk instead of swim.” He told her without looking up from his instrument.

“That cannot be the only difference!”

“True.” He sighed and looked up now, though past her, through her, as if he were watching some distant memory instead. “The _music_ sounds so much more beautiful on land.” His voice had taken a dreamy quality to it, as if the simple memory brought him pleasure.

“Was that the _only_ thing you noticed?”

“You will see yourself, your birthday is tomorrow after all."

 A sigh forced it's way past her, and she dropped back down to the sand. Her brother was useless on these matters, he had been able to go to the surface world for years - where as she hadn't. Bound to the ocean and tides, until she came of age, and could finally walk on land. 

Her fingers played in the sandy bed of the garden, drawing looping swirls across the white surface. _I always was the one shifting through sea wreckage. Always the one begging mother for stories. My own brothers can't even humor my desire to hear about the human kingdoms._

"Tomorrow is not so far away Daenerys." Rhaegar told her, plucking a few sad strings on his harp. 

Oh, but he was wrong, tomorrow would be an eternity. 

\----

 

Daenerys was up before the sun. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she found it hard to catch her breath. Fluttering about her room she tossed open the great glass windows of her room and looking up at the great big sky. _Today is the day. Today is the day I can finally walk on land!_

“Princess!” her handmaiden Doreah called, Doreah looked sometimes as though she could be Dany’s sister. Her pale blonde hair, and her ivory skin, though her eyes were blue where the princess had a soft lilac. “Happy Birthday!” 

Dany swam over to her, wrapping her tight in her arms. “I can’t believe it’s almost here, oh I’ve been waiting for this day -” 

“As long as you can remember, I know, come now - it’s a big day, let’s get you ready.” 

Doreah brushed her hair, threading purple flowers into her hair and dressing her in ropes of pearls. “There,” she said, leaning over to press a loving kiss to her cheek when she had finished. “Now even those land dwellers will know you are a princess.” 

“These pearls wrap about me so low, how ever will I manage to swim?” Dany asked, prushing a hand along the strands wrapped about her tail. 

“You will need them to cover you when you are on land, you’ll make to the surface just fine, you will see.” Doreah promised. 

 

\-----

There was ceremony and celebration to be had in the kingdom that day for the princess. Feasting, and dancing, and celebrations as she came of age. The feasts and the gifts, and the day passed by all in a whirl that Daenerys didn't pay attention to. It wasn’t the sumptuous food, the lavish party, the opulent gifts that excited her, it was finally going to the surface. That was the only gift the princess wanted. 

After the party had ended, after the gifts had been given, she was finally let go. 

Even with the pearls wrapped about her body, Daenerys was sure that she had never swam so fast before. The sun had already gone down though, by the time her celebrations had ended - by the time she was allowed to finally leave. She broke the surface, and looked towards the kingdom that bordered her own. Glowing lights in the windowsill. She almost started toward it when a sharp quick bang startled her. Turning around she looked to the sky as colors burst and bloomed against the night sky. It was a sight unlike any she had before. It was breath taking. 

A boat sat just a little ways off, the sounds of music and laughter swelled and burst off the ship not unlike the fireworks did. The princess pushed herself closer, wanting to see what the noise and the commotion was about. 

“To the prince. Jaime Lannister. Best swordsmen in the Seven Kingdoms. Gods be good he’ll never be king!” a man with flaming coral hair toasted as the men laughed. Dany touched the ship, looking in at them,  as close as she could get without pulling herself aboard. 

Daenerys was sure she had never seen a man so handsome as the prince. His strong jaw, blonde hair, and flashing green eyes; he was even more handsome than her brother Rhaegar. 

“Gods be good indeed.” Jaime said, a light laugh on his lips. “May my father live forever, he can keep that throne.” 

The mermaid stayed where she was, enraptured by the party, this birthday for the prince. _The same day as mine. We have the same birthday!_ In some sense it made her feel connected to this prince. As she watched him laugh about the ship, she imagined him smiling for _her_ , laughing _with her_. She watched as men clapped him on the back, or passed around liquor and she wanted to get to know him. She wanted him to show her about his palace and teach her of the animals they had on land, and she could teach him some of the secrets of the sea. The plants that could heal, and the fish that were deadly. Where to harvest coral and where to watch dolphins jump through the waves. So caught up was she, in these day dreams of showing him parts of her world that she didn’t notice the clouds covering the moon. She didn’t even notice the way the wind had picked up until the wind was tangling her hair and the ocean waves pulled her under the water. 

She swam away from the ship, keeping her distance in case the waves wished to push her into it. Daenerys turned just in time to watch as the wind tossed it into an outcropping of rocks. Horror knifed through her, she had been to enough shipwrecks, seen the bodies lying at the ocean floor. Her prince could be down there soon and just the thought made her stomach wrench, twisting into knots as her heart beat in triple time. _No, no he will not become just a body on the ocean floor_. She kicked her tail and swam into the wreckage. 

Her heart twisted and her stomach did back flips as she pushed past the men who had been celebrating only moments earlier. _I cannot save them all._  She thought. Though she tried to help. A piece of driftwood there, a push to the surface here, trying to help them as she could. _Save the prince. Save Jaime_. She reminded herself, she found him out there, unconscious as he had likely hit his head in the wreck. She wrapped her arms around and him and swam hard for the surface. Her head broke the water and rain battered against her face, wind pushing her hair as waves threatened to pull her, _them_ back under. But the princess was a strong swimmer, she pushed, pushed through the waves as she carried him back to the shore.

Once safe against the white sands she pressed her head to his chest listening for the steady pounding of his heart, feeling the rise and fall of his chest under her cheek. Her body sagged for a minute slumping over him as she breathed a soft sigh of relief. _He’s safe, he’s safe, he’s safe_ she thought. It was her last thought before the pain ripped through her, tearing a scream from her lungs as the magic that would allow her to finally walk on land tore her tail into two legs. She fell against the sand writing, and crying as the change tore her apart like the storm had torn apart her prince’s ship. Pain crested over her, and swept her away until the world went black. 

 

\----

“Are you okay?” the voice was familiar, she had heard it last night. His hands touched her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. 

“Yes,” she groaned before sitting up. 

He sighed and brushed his hand through his hair, “were you caught in that storm too?”

She glanced over at him, for a moment, and realized there was nothing she could say other than, “Yes. My ship caught fire out on the sea, I am so lucky to have made it.” she said. 

“You are.” He agreed. “I am Prince Jaime of House Lannister. Welcome to my kingdom.” he said. Reaching for her he helped pull her to her feet. 

Her feet!

Her toes pushed into the wet sand and wiggled there. She tried not to giggle with delight, a warm smile creeping over her face. “I am Princess Daenerys Targaryen. My kingdom is far across the sea.” She said.  “I fear I lost everything in that wreck.” 

He was watching her closely before he turned to look out at the sea. Perhaps remembering the men he had lost. Daenerys twisted her feet in the sand, the pearls rattling together as she turned. Reaching over she snagged his hand again, “Perhaps some of your men have made it back to shore, let’s go see.” she said. She tugged at his hand and started to run along the beach. Her legs weren’t used to to the motion and she stumbled, but he caught her. 

Her prince scooped her into his arms, “Woah there, take it easy your legs are still a bit unsteady.” He said. 

Her arms wrapped about his neck and she smiled at him, “I think I’ll be okay.” 

Jaime looked at her for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat as he smiled at her. 

“Where did you say your kingdom was again?”

“To the east … why?”

“You just…” he sat her back on her feet, his hand taking hers again. “You look like someone I saw once. Lying on the beach with a group of seals…” he shook his head. “I suppose it couldn’t be. I’m not even sure what I saw. She had… I think she had a black tail. But hair like moonlight.” He reached forward, his fingers brushing her silver strands. “Hair like yours.” He looked down at her now, “Though I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone dressed in _pearls_ before.” 

Dany’s heart fluttered in her chest, before she smiled at him. “It’s common in my kingdom. Perhaps I will show you it some day.”

“I would like that.” He said, a grin touched his lips as he brought her hand to his mouth. He kissed her hand, and her skin tingled where his lips touched, her blood heating.

“I would like that too.” she smiled at him, her heart racing in her chest, she couldn’t seem to get it to slow. “Come -” she said, she tugged on his hand as she started walking down the beach. Her feet slow and steady this time. “Let’s go look for your men.”

 

 


End file.
